Two of the three British victims on the Egyptian dive boat that caught fire had decided to sleep in that day, it has been revealed.
While the other Brit who died returned to his cabin to grab personal belongings.
Three British tourists were confirmed dead yesterday after a fire broke out on a diving cruise boat, called "Hurricane", off Egypt’s Red Sea coast near the resort town of Marsa Alam.
A further 12 Brits were rescued - along with 14 Egyptian crew members - and were brought to safety at the nearby diving resort of Marsa Shagra, according to a statement from the Red Sea State governor’s office and security sources.
Sources told Al Arabiya.net that the three deceased a woman and two men, were inside their rooms on the boat at the moment that the fire broke out on Sunday morning.
One of them left the room trying to escape but then returned. The source said he may have wanted to take his phone, passport or some of his personal belongings from the room, but then he became trapped.
Scuba Travel, who chartered the boat, said in a statement that the three Britons who "perished in the tragic incident" had "apparently" chosen not to go diving that day, leaving them unable to evacuate the boat quickly
While the source also said that two of the Brits hated waking up early and so were likely asleep when the fire started.
They also noted that their rooms were located near the fuel tank, so they may have died from suffocation or from burns.
Following an initial examination of the vessel, Egyptian authorities said, "An electrical short circuit in the boat’s engine room sparked the blaze."
However, a full investigation is still set to be carried out once the wrecked boat has cooled down.
Photos show it lying on its side with smoke still billowing out of it on the shore.
Images posted on social media showed a white motor yacht named Hurricane on fire at sea, with thick smoke billowing into the sky.
The rescue operation of all other people on board was also pictured, with people jumping off the boat into dinghies.
A diving enthusiast who was on the same ship in May said the boat was riddled with problems and no one was surprised the blaze had happened.
He told MailOnline: "[We had] recurring issues from the week of 1 and 8 May. There was no nitrox on board. They should have had it but they never told us.
"The toilets and the showers weren't working properly."
